Stackable bins for holding articles are well known. For example, stackable bins have been proposed by the same inventor herein, and which are the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,037, issued Jan. 14, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,388, issued May 16, 2000, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
According to the '037 patent, a stackable bin is provided having reinforcing ribs that perform a two-fold function of reinforcing the walls while also supporting the bin in a stacked arrangement, and in which there is a reliable interlocking arrangement of the bins in the stacked configuration thereof. The bins proposed in the '037 patent have a central partition wall which supports the bins in a stacked relation, divides each bin into two compartments, increases the structural integrity of each bin and locks the bins in a stacked relation. A problem occurs, however, if the bins have a small dimension without the central partition wall. Specifically, inner pressure from the goods in a stacked bin may cause the front ends of the side walls of the bin to move outwardly. This, in turn, can cause instability in the top bin, since the bottom of the top bin stacked thereon could fall down within the side walls of the lower bin.
According to the '388 patent, a stackable bin is provided which includes two spaced apart side walls and a rear wall having opposite side edges connecting rear edges of the side walls together. The side and rear walls are slightly inclined inwardly with respect to a vertical plane such that lower edges of the side and rear wall fit within upper edges of side and rear walls of a lower stackable bin. A bottom wall is connected to lower portions of the side and rear walls. Vertically oriented ribs are arranged on outer surfaces adjacent front and rear edges of the side walls for supporting the stackable bin on the upper edges of the side walls of the lower bin and for increasing structural rigidity of the side walls. At least some ribs include a notch in a lower end to receive the upper edges of the side walls of the lower bin and an outer interlocking tab at a lower end which engages outer surfaces of the side walls of the lower bin when the upper edges of the side walls of the lower bin are received in the notches. In this manner, the side walls of the lower bin are maintained in alignment and outward movement thereof is prevented.
The stackable bins in the '037 patent and the '388 patent generally do not enable easy variations in the size of the storage compartments defined by the bins.
Therefore, the same inventor herein has proposed stackable bins which enable different configurations of storage compartments to be defined thereby. Such stackable bins are the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/861,754 filed Jun. 3, 2004 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,284 filed Jul. 29, 2004, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
According to the '754 and '284 applications, a stackable bin is provided having a case including a bottom wall, a top wall and a support mechanism for supporting the top wall at a distance from the bottom wall to thereby define a slot. A drawer is insertable into the slot and defines a receptacle capable of receiving objects for storage. A partitioning structure is provided to selectively partition the receptacle into smaller storage compartments. Variations in the partitioning structure enable different sizes and configurations of storage compartments.
More particularly, the partitioning structure includes divider guides arranged on the interior of front, rear and side walls of the drawer and dividers removably insertable between the divider guides. Dividers which are insertable into the divider guides on the front and rear walls partition the receptacle lengthwise while dividers which are insertable into the divider guides on the side walls partition the receptacle crosswise. The dividers include slots to enable both a lengthwise and crosswise partitioning of the receptacle.
Since the receptacle defining the storage compartment(s) in the stackable bins in the '754 and '284 applications is defined by a drawer, removal of the drawer from the bin is generally required in order to access a storage compartment. Although this construction inhibits the contents of the storage compartment(s) from falling out of the bins, at times, a stackable bin which provides easier access to storage compartments is desired.